On 2026年 March 17, CREC completed the foundation pile construction of Pier 137 for the Changsha Xiangjiang River Grand Rail-road Bridge , marking another key step forward for the project. The bridge crosses the main Xiangjiang River channel close to existing railways and highways, bringing high construction risks. With extremely hard rock formations and strict environmental protection requirements, the project faces major technical challenges. As an important part of the national high-speed rail network, the line will connect Hunan and Jiangxi with coastal regions and support regional integration. Work on Pier 138 piles is progressing steadily, with full completion expected in mid-April.
The Changsha Xiangjiang Railway Super Major Bridge (also known as the Xiangjiang River Grand Railroad Bridge) is a massive, high-speed rail bridge currently under construction in Changsha. It is a critical key project for the Changsha–Ganzhou High-Speed Railway, which is designed to support bullet trains traveling at speeds up to 350 km/h.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Specifications
- Total Length: The entire bridge structure stretches approximately 9.5 kilometers long. [3]
- Main Span: The main section crossing over the water features a 390-meter span. This makes it one of the largest bridge spans over the entire Xiangjiang River. [3]
- Bridge Type: It is designed as a steel-concrete composite girder cable-stayed bridge, supported by 250 massive concrete caps. [3]
- Location: The bridge spans the Xiangjiang River to connect the Wangcheng District (west side) and the Kaifu District (east side) in northern Changsha. [3]
Strategic Importance
- Slashes Travel Time: Once the railway is complete, travel times between Changsha (Hunan Province) and Ganzhou (Jiangxi Province) will drop from 4 hours to just 1.5 hours. [4]
- Network Connection: It serves as a vital link in China’s national high-speed “Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal” railway network, vastly improving regional economic ties. [4, 6, 7, 8]
Construction Updates
Teams have been working around the clock to anchor the bridge deeply into the riverbed. Workers successfully completed the complex underwater foundation pile pouring for the main river piers (Piers 137 and 138), signaling major progress in setting up the bridge’s towering main supports. [1, 2]
